Time Is Of Essence
by Vanidades
Summary: To Meryl Stryfe there was only one way to reach eternity, and Vash just happened to know the way. (Fluffy and corny.)


**Words:** 1375

**Disclaimer:** I don't own them.

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He hadn't felt her leave his side. He didn't hear the rustling of bedsheets or the way her feet slid against the wooden floor. He hadn't realized her absence until his arm reached to the empty and cold spot next to him that his aquamarine eyes opened to find a damp pillow. The blonde looked down and saw that the bedsheets were pooled around his waist as he sat down on the bed, bringing his hand to scratch the back of his head as he yawned lazily, his eyes scanning the room.

It wasn't until he heard the water running in the bathroom that he found himself sighing. This wasn't the first time he'd woken up to this. It wasn't the first time and he knew what he was about to find. He sighed and placed his feet on the cold floor, wincing at the contact and taking his time to stand up. He proceeded to stretch and twist his back and he could hear the bones falling in place. The blonde turned around, and faced the bathroom door, his feet light and smooth against the floor.

He came to a stop at the door, taking a deep breath, "Meryl," he called out her name and he heard her choke on a sniffle. "Meryl, can you open the door?" The water was still running and his hand hugged the doorknob, hesitating and taking what he felt was the umpteenth breath that morning.

His grip loosened and he released the doorknob and pressed his forehead against the door as he heard another sob. This time he turned around and pressed his back against the cold wall, sliding down and placing his elbows on his knees as he sat on the floor, slumping his head, smiling to himself and pressing it against said wall and closing his eyes.

The door flew open and she walked through. She was wearing a small shirt and her underwear, a towel laid on her shoulders as she looked to her right and spotted him dozing off. There's no way she could tell how long he'd been sitting there and waiting for her, but this was the first time that he had done this. She was quite aware of him knowing about her morning routine.

It had started a while ago. She would always wake up early, way earlier than he would. Usually she'd turn around and smile at his sleeping figure and her hands would proceed to examine his body, her hands would caress his mangled excuse of a torso as her smile would become warmer. He would switch his positions but his back would never face her, he would just turn on his back, his arms shifting positions over his head as he would occasionally chuckle at her touch. Fascination would veil her eyes as she witnessed how his skin would crawl under her touch, it was like static, no, like electricity was running between the two of them. Her eyes would wander to his, watching as his eyelashes would flutter with the movement of his eyes under the lids and her hand would shot up to his chin, he'd turn around and face her, still asleep, and her stare would just linger on his beauty spot, her fingers would trace the smooth skin on his face and that's when the waterworks would start.

Meryl knocked on his knee with her foot, throwing him off balance. He looked up at her and grinned, "Hey." He managed to say.

"Hey back at you," She said taking a step forward as he reached for her wrist and pulled her into his lap. "Wh- what is this all about?" She could feel all the blood of her body rush to her face and her ears were burning.

He put his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder, smelling the fresh scent of body wash and there was also something else which he just couldn't seem to put his finger on, "Why were you crying?" He asked her as he felt her back tense up against his chest.

Meryl sighed and relaxed, giving into his embrace. He felt her shake in his arms and quirked an eyebrow, "Meryl?"

She continued shaking as her hands clung to his arms. Back when they decided to be a thing, she knew that this would happen, but she didn't expect herself to be the one to drown on that glass of water. She always thought that with him being so frantic and unstable and screwed up he'd be the one to hit the crisis first. She was the one, out of both of them, that had her shit together. The one with the highest paying job, with a scheduled routine, the one with most stability. This she was definitely not expecting.

He wasn't as naive as she thought he was, he knew what this was all about. But he'd lie if he said he didn't want to hear her voice her reasons. He's always thought that time was precious, and he had made it a point to spend it doing the things he wanted to do with the people he loved, and this was most definitely one of the things he wanted to do.

And Meryl knew. She was quite aware that the man had chosen this. Over time he had convinced her that he was doing this out of sheer will and not because he felt some kind of obligation to her, but the possibility of him walking out on her as time went on and she was the only one that'd chance killed her. All she knew was that Vash was the nicest thing she'd ever lay her eyes upon, and ever since she met him there was a deep je ne se qois between them that hadn't let her forget the look on his face when she first met him, or the way his fingers would tangle with hers, or how he'd tangle his legs with hers when they slept, the way breathing was so much easier when he was around.

"I'm sorry," She said in between sobs as he snuggled closer to her, kissing her neck as she kept on crying apologies, each weighing more than he could handle and tearing his heart apart. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." That was all she could muster up to say when all she wanted to say was that she wished she was a need to him and not just a want, that he could feel the loneliness she felt whenever she thought of him walking out of her life.

She heard him chuckle as he placed another tiny kiss at the base of her jawline, "Stop apologizing for nothing," He told her, but he knew more than that. He knew she apologized for all those unspoken worries, worries he was well aware of. Worries that each day he spent next to her only increased instead of decreased. "Just know that I love you… And I'll love you forever, even if I get to live a millenia and you don't. Eons. Whatever it is, whatever time measure, I'll love you that and more." He whispered as the hold she had on his arms only grew stronger, "I'll love you and I'll need you, and the day you're no longer here I don't know what will become of myself because I swear that the day you go my heart will go with you… Because I'll continue to exist, but I'll definitely cease to live without you."

Meryl sobbed, this time she shuffled her weight and turned around, her arms snaking around his neck as she found herself grateful to whichever god watched over her. She had a good man next to her, but she couldn't help feeling this way. Not when time was working against her faster than it worked against him.

Vash looked at her with a warm smile as his hand caressed her dark hair, bringing her close enough for him to crash his lips against hers and in that moment… in that moment Meryl could swear time seemed to stop and her ache seemed to dissipate as she thought that if there was an eternity it could be found in this man's arms.

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**A/N:** Gosh! I'm sorry for the super fluff and corny things said, but my husband has been deployed for two months so I can feel the melancholy creeping up on me and these two tug my heart strings in so many ways! Anyhow, thanks for reading and for your time!


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